Coupler on pilot beams



Aug. 8, 1933. COUCH 1,921,382

COUPLER ON PILOT BEAMS Filed July 13, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet l gmentoi Aug.8, 1933.

GIF. COUCH COUPLER ON PILOT BEAMS Filed July 13, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2I, Hi I F l We 0 0 o o 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 m W Wk 1 k I I Z G Aug. 8, 1933.G. F. COUCH COUPLER ON PILOT BEAMS Filed July 13, 192

wg a r. hr 1 .uflmllmii III - pilot when not in use, means being alsoprov Patented Aug. 8, 1933 UNITED STATES COUPLER 0N PILOT BEAMS Glenn F.Couch, Rochester, N. 8., assignor to The Symington Company, New York, N.Y., a Corporation of Maryland Application July 13, 1927. Serial No.205,430 '1 Claims. (01. 213-41 This invention relates to couplers and,more particularly, to such adapted for application to front ends oflocomotives and so mounted that they may be swung from operative toinoperative positions at will.

The principal object of my invention, generally considered, is toprovide a coupler adapted for application to the front end of alocomotive and so mounted that it may be swung downward to a pocketformed in the front of an associated vided for permitting transverseangling of the coupler which is counterweighted to facilitate adjustmentto the desired position.

An object of my invention is the provision of a coupler mounted forvertical swinging with respect to an associated pilot beam which ispreferably of cast construction and formed with an extension forconnection with the framing of the locomotive, an associated pilot beingattached to said beam with a frame also preferably of cast constructionand formed with a pocket in the front face thereof for receiving saidcoupler, said coupler, when it is not desired to use the same forcoupling with associated rolling stock, being swung downwardly into saidpocket and held in such position by an associated keeper.

Another object of myinvention is the provision of a drop-down pilotcoupler for the front end of a locomotive so counterweighted that it isreadily moved from operative to inoperative positions-with means forholding the same securely in the desired position.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a coupler for thefront end of a locomotive adapted to be swung into a correspondingpocket in the front of the locomotive pilot, the stem of said couplerbeing formed with shims associated with the pivotal mounting meanstherefor, whereby transverse angling of said coupler to a limited degreeis permitted.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a drop-down pilotcoupler for the front end 'of'a locomotive in which the supporting pilotbeam is formed to provide pockets for receiving a carry iron or keeperwhich, when mounted below the stem of the coupler, supports the same inoperative position and, when mounted above the stem thereof, holds thesame in depressed or inoperative position. 7

An additional objectof my invention is the provision of a pilot beam,pilot and drop-down coupler assembly in which the beam is provided withextensions forming stops for limiting angling of the coupler withrespect thereto, the pilot being formed for receiving the head of thecoupler and also serving as a downward limit stop for swinging movementthereof.

Other objects and. advantages of the invention relating to theparticular arrangement and con- 'struction of the various parts willbecome apparent as the description proceeds.

Referring to the drawings illustrating my in- I vention, the scopewhereof is defined by the appended claims:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through a locomotivepilot beam with an associated pilot depending therefrom and a couplersupported thereby, the head of said coupler being illustrated in sideelevation and being shown in full lines in horizontal or operativeposition and diagrammatically indicated by dot and dash lines indepressed or inoperative position.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the pilot beam, pilot andassociated coupler shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 1looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary front elevation of 30 the pilot beam andpilot, the stem of the associated coupler being illustrated in section.

Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view on the line 55 ofFigure flocking in the 8 direction of the arrows. v

Referring to the drawings in detail, like parts being designated by likereference characters,

the number 1 designates the pilot beam of a locomotive or other railwayvehicle, the front The pilot beam casting 1 may be either pro- 100 videdwith a rearward extension? or be connected to such a casting whichadapts it for secure connection with the associated framing of thelocomotive. Extending downwardly from said pilot beam 1 is a pilot 8,said pilot, in the 105 present embodiment, being illustrated as a castframe 9 with the front face of the pilot completed by a plurality ofbars or tubes 10 extending between upper and lower elements of saidframe and riveted thereto at opposite ends. The 119 upper portion ofsaid frame is provided with lugs 11 by which the pilot is securelyconnected to the pilot beam by means of a plurality of bolts 12. Inorder to rigidly brace the pilot with respect to the beam, brackets 13are provided extending from the lower face of the beam and engaging therear face of the pilot and connected thereto by a plurality of bolts 14.

Adjacent the central portion of the pilot, a pocket 15 is provided, saidpocket being of a size corresponding with the head of the coupler 6,whereby, when said coupler 6 is swung downwardly, the same is receivedin said pocket and completes the front surface of the pilot. The rearwall 16 defining said pocket 15 serves as a stop for limiting downwardmovement of the coupler head.

The stem of the coupler is extended and provided with or formed as acounterweight 17, said counterweight being received in a pocket 18 inthe casting '7. When the coupler is swung downwardly into the pocket 15,the counterweight 1'7 naturally swings upwardly and upward movementthereof is limited by a web or flange 19 extended from the upper portionof the pilot, beam and forming a stop for the counterweight 1'7 of thecoupler. For limiting downward movement of the counterweight and therebycorresponding upward movement of the coupler head, a horizontal portion20 of the beam, underlying said coupler, serves as a stop for thispurpose. Inasmuch as the counterweight is preferably not quite heavyenough to overbalance the coupler, said coupler will tend to swingdownwardly into normal or inoperative position where it closes thepocket 15 in the pilot. For holding said coupler in operative orhorizontal position, ledges or pockets 21 are provided on the front ofthe pilot beam 1 for receiving a carry iron 22, said carry iron beingpreferably held in position by means of bolts or the like 23. When saidcarry iron is positioned beneath the coupler, it serves to support thesame in horizontal position and,

when said coupler is swung downwardly and the carry iron positionedthereabove, it serves as a keeper to hold said coupler in normal or depressed position. The carry iron in the same position is, therefore,adapted to hold the coupler in either an operative or an inoperativeposition.

In order to permit transverse or horizontal angling of the coupler withrespect to the locomotive as well as vertical angling, a pair of shims24 is provided positioned between the pivot pin 5 and the coupler 6 andreceived in corresponding pockets 25 in said coupler. The outer surfacesof said shims preferably have, as their axis, a vertical line passingthrough the intersection between the center line of the pivot pin 5 andthe center line of the stem of the coupler 6, and the walls of thepockets 25 are correspondingly formed, whereby said coupler may be swungtransversely or horizontally about said shims, such motion beingpermitted between said shims and said coupler. It

will be apparent that, by virtue of permitting both vertical andtransverse swinging of said cou-' pler, a universal connection betweensaid coupler and pilot beam is provided. In order to permit transverseor horizontal swinging of the coupler, the pocket 18 is formed flaringtoward its rear end so as to permit the necessary movement of thecounterweight and the pocket 3 in the pilot beam is correspondinglyformed, whereby the desired amount of angling is permitted, yet saidangling is limited by. the side walls of said pockets.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, it will be apparent that I have devised a pilot beam, pilot,and coupler assembly of such character that the coupler is adapted todrop down into and complete the pilot when said coupler is not neededfor connecting the associated locomotive with other rolling stock, thestem of said coupler being so counterweighted that it is readily movedto the desired position, means being provided between the mounting meansfor the coupler and the stem thereof so that transverse as well asvertical pivotal motion, and therefore universal angling, of saidcoupler is permitted, a carry iron being provided for supporting saidcoupler in horizontal position or holding it in depressed position, andmeans on said pilot beam and pilot being provided for limiting swinging.movement of said coupler. Although I have illustrated my coupler asapplied to the front end of a locomotive, it is obvious that I do notwish to be' restricted to this showing as the same may be used in otherpositions, for example, at the rear end of the tender.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. In combination with a pilot beam formed as a hollow casting, a pilotdepending therefrom, a coupler mounted in said pilot beam for verticalswinging from substantially horizontal operative position to inclinedposition, said pilot being provided with a pocket in the front facethereof for said coupler when swung to inclined position, a portion ofsaid pilot forming an inner wall of said pocket serving as a stop tolimit downward movement of said coupler, the stem of said coupler beingextended beyond said connection with the pilot beam and counterweighted,a stop for said counterweighted portion being provided by an extensionof the upper wall of said pilot beam, whereby upward movement of saidcounterweight is limited, downward movement thereof being limited by aportion of said beam underlying said extension and counterweightedportion, and means provided for holding said coupler in substantiallyhorizontal position, said means being supported in pockets formed on thepilot beam.

2. In combination with a pilot beam, a pilot depending therefrom, acoupler mounted in said pilot beam for limited universal motion withrespect to said beam, said mounting means involving a substantiallyhorizontal generally cylindrical pivot pin with the ends thereofsupported in said beam, a pair of shims positioned between said pin andthe stem of said coupler and adapted to rotate on the former with saidcoupler, the outer surfaces of said shims being convexly curved about anormally upright axis and engaging correspondingly curved surfaces insaid stem, whereby vertical angling of said coupler on said. pivot pinand transverse angling of said coupler on said shims is permitted.

3. In combination with a pilot beam, a pilot depending therefrom, acoupler with a stem rearwardly extending and mounted on said beam forvertical swinging from substantially horizontal to inclined positions,said pilot being formed with a cavity adapted to receive the couplerhead when swung downwardly, and means for holding said coupler in eitherof a plurality of positions comprising a carry iron adapted forconnection to the pilot beam, below the coupler when in horizontalposition, said beam, carry iron and coupler 4. In combination with apilot beam, a pilot depending therefrom, a coupler with a rearwardlyextending stem, a pivot pin intersecting said stem for permittingvertical angling of said coupler, means positioned between said pin andstem for permittingtransverse angling of said coupler with respectthereto, said coupler stem being extended beyond said pivot pin andcounterweighted to facilitate adjustment of said coupler, stop meansbeing provided on said pilot for limiting downward movement of thecoupler head and on said beam to limit upward and downward movement ofsaid counterweight, said beam being formed with a pocket receiving saidstem and a rearward extension provided with a continuation of saidpocket, the rearwardly extending walls of said pocket and the extensionthereof being diverging to permit limited transverse angling of saidcoupler.

5. In a railway vehicle, in combination, a hollow serving as a stop forthe extended stem of said coupler when swung to inoperative position.

6. In a railway vehicle, in combination, a cast pilot beam formed with alongitudinally extending aperture, a coupler with the stem thereofextending in said aperture, means pivotally connecting said coupler stemand beam, a pilot connected to the front face of said beam, said pilotcomprising a cast frame with a coupler receiving pocket formed in thefront face thereof whereby said coupler maybe swung to inoperativeposition and complete the pilot by filling said pocket, abutmentportions extending outwardly from and integral with the beam on eitherside of said coupler, and a carrier iron supported on said abutmentportions and underlying the stem of a coupler for holding said couplerin operative position.

'7. In combination with a pilot beam, a pilot depending therefrom, acoupler with a stem mounted in said beam for vertical swinging fromsubstantially horizontal position to inclined positions, the connectionbetween said stein and beam comprising a normally horizontal pingenerally circular in' section, shims movable with said stem in theabove stated movement and having rotative bearing relation with saidpin, said shims having convexly curved outer surfaces engagingcorrespondingly curved surfaces on said stem for permitting transverseangling of said coupler.

GLENN F. COUCH.

